


Binary Star

by littleflakdress



Series: Cosmological Constants [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-08-18 07:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8153945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleflakdress/pseuds/littleflakdress
Summary: Admiral Jane Shepard is nursing a broken heart and a nasty grudge.  Now she's racing across the galaxy to kick down some doors, get some answers... and probably shoot something.  A followup to "Redshift".





	1. Citadel Morning

Kaidan Alenko strained his arm, squinting in concentration, but his quarry was just out of reach and time was running out. He currently slouched back on the soft white couch in his bright apartment on the Citadel, his one-year-old daughter napping on his chest, his coffee cup just beyond his fingertips and cooling rapidly. Finally, as all hope seemed lost, his mother walked through the kitchen and was beckoned over by his hiss.

"Ashley sleeps like a rock, you know. She won't wake up." Karen Alenko handed the Spectre his caffeine but, with just a touch of smugness, didn't bother to lower her voice- after serving as the child's caregiver for the last few weeks she was enjoying her authority on all things Ashley. He quickly gulped a sip before he whispered his thanks, purposely ignoring her advice as she rolled her eyes and wandered back down the hall.

From their picture windows he could see a few residents going about their business in the quiet residential sector they called home part of the year, during the times work called them away from their cozy Vancouver home. In the distance a short woman in Alliance uniform walked briskly down the walkway and he almost sat up before realizing it would not, could not be Jane Shepard. She was already a day out, on her way to the Kepler Verge, seeking an eccentric- and possibly dangerous- volus prophet. 

Things had been strained when Jane left her family the day before and he still wasn't sure where they stood as a couple. He loved her- he would always love her- but the woman refused to let someone else take the risks for once, resulting in him refusing to accompany her on this leg of her mission, opting to stay home with their daughter. 

Kaidan drained the last of his coffee and kissed the top of his daughter's head. He wondered how Jane was doing on their voyage out. Things should be quiet on this leg of the trip- despite their recent disagreement, he hoped she wasn't too bored.

*** 

"What the shit, Joker?!" Jane shrieked as she stumbled onto the bridge, red auxiliary lights flashing behind her. She shouted both in anger and to be heard over the blaring alarms.

"I don't know, I didn't do it!" The pilot frantically punched buttons as he tried to regain control of the spinning ship. The Ursula was a small, sleek vessel; normally this was an advantage but today it proved a liability after being struck by a missile. "Who the hell is firing on us?"

"Doesn't matter, just get control of this thing-"

Her shout was cut off by Miranda's voice echoing through her personal comm. "Who the hell is firing on us?"

"Miranda, prepare the evac procedures immediately-"

"Already on it. Shepard, Joker, I expect you at your muster stations in 10 minutes tops." There was a note of warning in her second-in-command's voice- the last time they'd had to abandon ship things hadn't exactly gone according to plan. The pilot and the Admiral exchanged a glance through the red glow, silently acknowledging their situation. 

Without further argument the two got up and, Jane supporting her friend, made their way to the escape pods. He only looked back once. 

Jane waited at the muster station with a practiced calm that belied her internal state, ushering the small crew of the Ursula to safety, until Miranda confirmed they were the last aboard the ship. The two women and Joker climbed into the last pod and launched, watching the ship spin slowly through the small porthole. 

From the vantage point they could see the extent of the damage- the small ship, built for speed and stealth, hadn't stood a chance against an unanticipated attack. After a moment Jane asked quietly, "Where are we?"

Miranda sighed. "Still in the Shadow Sea. There's a hospitable planet we should be on a trajectory toward. Let's hope these pods are everything the salesman promised they'd be, they certainly cost enough." The Admiral nodded and the three watched the ship that had briefly been their home gradually shrink as they hurtled toward what was hopefully their salvation.

After a few minutes Joker cleared his throat. "So what should we talk about?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This is part II of a series, so maybe read "Redshift" before you start this one. If you're new here, I like to throw in the music I'm writing to in case you want to listen along or just discover a new soundtrack.
> 
> Writing music: Aphex Twin, "Alberto Balsam" ; Danger Twins, "Radar"


	2. Countdown

"Twenty, Shepard!"

View partially obscured by her helmet, Jane observed the unremarkable farmlands with a touch of revulsion as she waited for her suit to register the toxicity of the atmosphere. The view itself was pleasant enough, and the colonists appeared to be growing some sort of corn. The crew was busy unpacking the meager supplies from their escape pods under Miranda's supervision; everyone appeared to have survived their short trip intact, despite a few bruises and one broken arm- amazingly, not Joker's. With a resigned shake of her head, Jane pulled off her helmet, not bothering to look at the readout on her suit. She knew where they were, unfortunately. Dr. Gakaris' looked at the Admiral curiously. Her own suit beeped and she pulled her own helmet off, satisfied the air was breathable. "You've been here before? Or needed a little more excitement," she joked weakly.

Jane smiled. "No, I've been here. Nothing to be afraid of- Horizon's just a farm colony."

"This may actually be to our advantage," Liara approached the women, holding a tablet she'd apparently though to grab before their evac. "Chances are everyone will think we're dead once they find our ship. Fifteen, by the way." Jane nodded thoughtfully and stretched out, hands before her back, trying to work out the kinks from her uncomfortable ride. 

"And whoever, whatever attacked us leaves us alone." Jane continued stretching for a moment as she considered the ruse. The asari hummed in response, punching something into her tablet. "Just one problem though, we still need a ride. We'll have to risk sending a message to the Council or Alliance."

"That... may be unnecessary." Tali picked her way through the corn stalks into the clearing, adjusting the seals on her bio mask. Jane arched an eyebrow at her friend. "I was in the middle of sending a message to the... turian government when we were hit. They should be receiving it in due time."

"Well there goes our subterfuge. If the entire turian hierarchy knows..." Liara shrugged but Tali fidgeted a bit more. Jane could swear she was blushing under her mask. 

"Ah, well, it wasn't to the turians so much as the Primarch."

Despite the gravity of their situation Jane had to laugh. "Are you saying we interrupted a love letter to Garrus?"

"Shepard!" She was definitely blushing now, Jane was sure. The two had attempted to keep their relationship under wraps and frankly, had done a terrible job. "Anyway, you should be thanking me. Now we can sit and wait for him to send a ship."

Jane smiled. "Thank you Tali. And thanks to your boyfriend," she said with a wink. Despite her irritation with recent events she was secretly thrilled her friends had been dating. "I have one stipulation though- we have to let Kaidan know I'm alive. I don't want him to go through... that again." 

Something lit up in Liara's face, finally registering their location. She and Garrus had accompanied Jane the last time they'd been here and things had not gone well. "Of course. I'll figure something out." Something beeped on her tablet. "After this. We're at ten."

Ten minutes until someone- something- that had been tracking their pods arrived. "That's enough supplies and rest. Tali, get the crew to safety," Jane immediately pulled her sidearm out and pointed to a nearby storage warehouse. "That will have to do. We're low on weapons- I need every biotic on the crew to help me fend these guys off." 

***

Ultimately it came down to Miranda, Liara, and Kyllin. The batarian had apparently grabbed not one but two shotguns in his escape, the merc's gruff paranoia finally paying off. They spread out around the clearing, biotics taking cover behind the pods, Jane and Kyllin opting to camoflauge themselves in the tall corn stalks to prevent crossfire. As they watched from their crouch, a small unmarked shuttle came into view. Kyllin leaned to Jane and whispered, "Looks like a merc ship. More pirates maybe?"

She watched intently, furrowing her brow, and matched his hushed tones: "Why and how would a band of mercs shoot us down in the first place?" After a moment it glided to a stop in the center of their group, the side door whooshing open. Several vorcha strode confidently out and observed their surroundings. 

Something dark passed over Jane's face. Even Kyllin, who had not known the woman as long as her other crew, could sense a change in the mood and had he had any hairs on the back of his neck, they would have raised. "If we want to keep our survival a secret, we'll need to shoot to kill. I'm not taking any more chances." He nodded in agreement despite his surprise. She took a calming breath, dropped to a knee, and raised her weapon. At his ready signal she fired, noting with grim relief the wet sound the bullet made as it met its target. The lead vorcha immediately dropped to the ground and the others looked at him dumbly for a moment before realizing they were under fire. 

Liara and Miranda immediately threw the full force of their biotic strength at the shuttle in an attempt to disable it, the electronics popping and frying under the metal hood. Then they focused their attention on the remaining crew, tossing stasis fields at the panicked attackers to hold them in place. Each shot ringing out from the cornfield synched with the fall of another vorcha. After a few chaotic minutes there was only one left, the merc tossing his overheated weapons and dashing to cover behind an escape pod. He shouted something at his attackers that Jane couldn't quite make out, but she wasn't taking the chance he didn't have more weaponry. She crouched at the edge of her cover, then broke into a run toward the nearest pod, throwing herself into a roll behind it just as another shot rang out. No one seemed to have a clear shot at him. She caught her breath for a few moments, eyeballed the next pod- the last one between herself and the entrenched vorcha- and hoped her shields had enough power in them to take a few shots. 

Crouched low, Jane launched herself in a run toward the remaining pod, firing off a blind shot as cover. To her surprise she heard a howl of anguish. Reaching her destination, she peered cautiously around the corner and saw the vorcha on the ground, clutching his hand- her wild shot had apparently snagged him as he was reaching over his pod to fire. A blast echoed from Kyllin's vicinity and the merc went still.

The four friends slowly left cover and made their way to the Admiral, Liara eyeing her uncertainly. After a moment Jane sighed and holstered her sidearm. "I hate this planet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No particular song I listened to here, just a lot of the band SURVIVE (check em out!)


	3. The Gizzard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew catches an unusual ride.

Tali cleared her throat. "Garrus..." he hemmed distractedly in response, examining the galactic map in the center of the small bridge. "Garrus, why are we on a salvage barge?"

He looked up, cocked his head as though it were perfectly obvious. The women gathered around him, however, continued waiting for an explanation. "I use this thing all the time. She's perfect for covert missions." She raised an eyebrow under her mask. "What? Just strap a bunch of junk to the exterior and as long as you keep your head down, nobody takes a second look. You've got to admit it's genius." There was a touch more cockiness to his voice than usual.

"It's... very clever." Liara's frown belied her statement. She'd come from the front of the bridge where Jane and Joker were already arguing with the turian pilots. "But how will it hold up in a battle? Goddess knows what we'll face on Klencory."

The turian waved a hand vaguely at their surroundings. "She's not particularly fast, but she's well equipped, weaponwise. This is still a turian ship after all." The women knew he was secretly enjoying playing the heroic rescuer to the crew for once. He'd even managed a rather dramatic entrance, being the first out the shuttle door on Horizon, cocking a weapon and announcing his arrival- much to the amusement of the perfectly safe crew sitting around a cornfield playing cards. 

Now they hurtled through space once more aboard the unfortunately named _Gizzard_ , looking for all the world like a down-on-their-luck salvage crew. Garrus had immediately set off with a small retinue of his most trusted associates and was content to play host for the remainder of the mission. Still looking absurdly pleased with himself, he picked up his datapad. "So what do you think? This a subtle enough message for Alenko?"

Tali frowned. "Garrus, that's just mean." 

Before he could protest, Liara jumped in. "No, it's not bad. A message he'll understand but will look innocuous enough to anyone monitoring transmissions." At her nod, Garrus tapped the screen and sent the image to Kaidan. 

***

The man in question, meanwhile, was still staring at his screen in shock. He'd received the transmission from Alliance HQ while his mother was out with Ashley, taking her to the scraggly green space near the shops that served as a children's park. The _Ursula_ , destroyed. The crew, unaccounted for and presumed dead. Kaidan rubbed his face again, still in his sweats and holding a full cup of coffee in his shaking hand, and reread the brief. It wasn't possible. Not again. The universe would not, could not do that to him.

Before his addled mind could process it, however, another message popped up- source anonymous. He blinked a few times, his brain still thick and slow, then creased his forehead as he attempted to place the familiar image. Finally it registered he was staring at a picture of the small colony settlement on Horizon. 

With a curse he chucked the datapad across the room and marched to the bedroom for his armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short and quick one today w/o editing, trying to squeeze in some writing during a busy time!
> 
> Music- Caveboy, "Muscle Memory"


	4. A Hunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew reflects, Kaidan tries to hitch a ride.

Jane was attempting to mediate the argument- make that spirited discussion- between Joker and the flustered turian pilot when she realized how deeply exhausted she was, and desperately needed a hot shower, a meal and a good night's sleep. She clapped her friend on the shoulder to indicate he was on his own and headed down the deck to the crew quarters, noting with gratitude that Garrus' ship had bunks instead of the wretched sleeping pods that had been in vogue a decade before, sometimes the old ways really were best.

She stopped at the door to the head, trying to determine if the symbol indicated a male or female turian. Finally realizing she really didn't care Jane shrugged and walked in, happy to find the very female Dr. Gakaris inside, having apparently had the same thoughts herself. "I suppose you feel right at home," Jane commented as she began to strip for the shower. 

Gakaris finished rubbing some sort of salve onto her skin. "It's familiar, but not home. I've spent more of the last decade in laboratories than aboard ships."

Jane stepped into the shower spray and let the hot water wash over her. She had to hand it to the turians, they liked their temperatures a little higher than humans and that suited her just fine- Kaidan wouldn't be complaining about her icy feet in bed on this ship. She lingered a bit longer than necessary, trying not to let her thoughts drift further to her family. Distractions wouldn't serve the mission at this point. She'd gotten soft, careless, and it had only caused her heartbreak and a hell of an explosion. She couldn't help but wonder what Kaidan and Ashley were doing at that very moment, though.

***

"You may be a Spectre, Major Alenko, but resources are extremely tight at the moment. One ship being sent out on a 'hunch'-" the turian Councilor raised his claws in a quotation gesture and Kaidan fought the urge to roll his eyes; "-may mean we don't have that ship to bring in the next round of troops, of vegetation or medicine. I'm sorry, but Admiral Shepard's whereabouts will simply have to remain unknown for the moment."  
"One you she's not necessary for your survival, she's expendable. Is that it?" Kaidan couldn't help but retort acidly as he stood before the row of elevated desks and screens. The simple conference room had served as the Council's meeting space since the partial destruction of the Citadel and without the previous one's grandeur, their authority felt a bit lacking. Some things never changed though- the Council's self-interest and obtuseness apparently being one of them. He knew his request had been a longshot but it irked him nonetheless.  


"Major..." the asari Councilor spoke up with an apologetic gentleness to her voice. "Shepard has already survived much worse. If there's anyone who could rescue her, she herself is probably the best option." Kaidan shook his head and walked away from the assembly without the usual formalities. It was poor form but he had to leave without saying anything worse, and at most they would reprimand him later.  
As he walked through the Citadel corridors, he began a mental checklist of anyone that owed him or Shepard a favor... and had access to a full vessel. Almost everyone they'd known over the last few years fell into the former category, but her most trusted friends were either already with her or couldn't be of help.  
He stopped near a cafe he and Jane had frequented since reconciling a few years ago, a modest courtyard overlooking the retaining pools of the Citadel's public space, leaned on the railing and began to formulate a plan.

Wrex and Grunt? Too far away to make it in time. Jacob and Jack didn't have their own ships. Vega and Cortez were out of contact on some sort of secretive N7 mission. Alliance was too by-the-book. He had no idea where Samara was. That was everyone still alive... almost everyone.

He shook his head again and laughed bitterly to himself, drawing a stare from the asari waitress. It wouldn't be his first choice; hell, it wouldn't even be a choice if he had his way. But he was determined to find Jane. "I can't believe I'm stooping to his," he muttered as he sent a ping to a man he'd only met briefly and absolutely did not trust:

_Massani- are you near Citadel? Need a favor._

###

Joker finally accepted that no, the turians were not going to allow him to jump into the chain of command and pilot an unfamiliar vessel belonging to the Primarch himself. He walked slowly to the crew lounge, where only a few crewmembers were still up, bathed in the bluish lights of the vessel's shields seen through the reinforced picture windows. One of the upsides to floating around in a civilian ship was the attention to crew comforts; the Alliance would never have approved of such a waste of space. A deck of cards sat on the round table, but people were apparently too tired to focus on a game. He settled onto the somewhat battered couch and accepted a glass of whisky from one of the Ursula's engineers whose arm was still in a sling.

The pilot contented himself with sipping his drink and listening to the hum of the ship and low murmur of the room until Tali walked in and joined him. He lifted his glass in a silent toast to her. "How's the engine look?"

She fidgeted. "I was about to go inspect it..." Before Joker could ask what she'd been doing Garrus walked in with an air of forced casualness- they really were terrible actors- and pointedly sat on the other side of the room. Joker rolled his eyes. "Real subtle. You make sure he counted to ten until he followed you from his quarters?"

Although he was happy enough for his friends he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. His own partner had been taken from him during the war. One minute EDI had been there in the chaos, right next to him on the Normandy's bridge. He hadn't even noticed she'd dropped silently until he'd finished navigating their emergency landing and turned to her, ready with a cocky quip about his skills. He forced the thoughts out of his mind- going back there would do no good- and listened to his friend's sputtered explanations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music: Jack Wall, "The Wards", ME1 soundtrack (yeah old school!)
> 
> ..anyone have music suggestions for writing?


	5. Mission Prep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaidan's en route. The team preps to land.

Kaidan found himself wondering how exactly he'd gotten here. He'd always been a bit of a rule follower- home by curfew, top of his squad during boot, Alliance golden boy. Sometimes it had clashed with Jane's style; there'd been an angry, renegade streak in her when they'd first met that she luckily had the background and sheer skill to make the brass put up with. During their time together he'd noticed the slow burn, metamorphosing effect they'd had on each other; she had mellowed, warmed and opened up to him and their companions, had been willing to blindly trust them beyond the call of duty. She became more comfortable showing the mercy and compassion she'd impressed on him during their first mission, when Jane had thrown him from the path of an unknown, and potentially dangerous, alien artifact, placing herself directly in its path. He'd fallen just a little bit in love with her then, watching her recover in the original Normandy's medbay.

Jane had been so battered and broken by the end of the war, by the time she'd healed and almost immediately gotten pregnant, her life no longer required the adrenaline and strength she'd been exercising the last few decades of her life. Kaidan chided himself for assuming it would be an easy adjustment for her- should have seen the restlessness in their peaceful, structured lives. He had let her down on Horizon the first time they'd been there- had greeted the news of her survival with suspicion and downright hostility. She had forgiven him, but every episode of mistrust he'd had was a continuous regret for him, quietly eating away at him every time he was faced with a decision. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

So here he was, tapping his feet on the deck of Zaeed Massani's junker of a merc ship, one that reeked of smuggling, murder-for-hire and possible piracy. It seemed Jane had influenced him in turn after all these years.

"What're you up for, Alenko?" came an accented growl from behind Kaidan. He turned to see Zaeed's weathered visage staring him down from some truly hideous yellow armor, a slight smirk playing across his lips. The old merc had offered his services without question, "for Shepard", but was clearly enjoying his position of power. Kaidan still wasn't sure exactly what he and Jane had gotten up to in their days travelling together, wasn't sure he wanted to know, and regarded the man warily.

"You always wear full armor midflight?" Kaidan retorted. He wasn't in the mood to do whatever little dance Zaeed was planning.

Zaeed's smirk grew wider. "Around this crew I do and you should too." He finally shifted and offered his hand to shake. "Welcome aboard. Now what're you up for? Everyone here chips in, we're too small of a ship for pleasure cruises."

Reluctantly, Kaidan returned the handshake. Neither men bothered to out-squeeze the other. "You know I'm a veteran biotic. Decent with electronics..."

Zaeed pretended to think. "Biotic's not much use in transit, I could put you on cleaning duty..." Kaidan still wasn't in the mood for games and waited patiently for him to finish his show of thought. "Or I suppose you could lend a hand in engineering."

"Sounds great," he replied sarcastically. As he turned to stalk off down the corridor he heard Zaeed chuckle behind him. "That girlfriend of yours we're after- she's a wildcat, yeah?"

***

Jane had to admit that, despite the guilt of pulling him away from his civic duties, it felt good to have Garrus at her side again. The turian was one of her closest friends and she'd missed him between their sporadic visits and messages over the last year. "Back in action," he mused, apparently having the same thoughts. She smiled at him as her inner council took seats around the conference table in Garrus' simple captain's quarters, the bluish lights dimmed for the evening and casting the crew in an unearthly glow.

"Okay team," she began, foregoing any formalities. "We're approaching Klencory. Liara, give us some background here."

The asari flicked her tablet and a holo of the planet spun in the middle of the table. "Klencory's an ice planet. No notable resources, but the atmosphere is toxic so we'll need full suits. It somehow managed to escape bombardment during the war." Another image- a fat volus in gleaming biosuit- popped into the display. "Kumun Shol, our target. No one knows exactly how wealthy he is, but enough to host a full excavation of the planet, complete with militia, for years. He's been working in the southwest quadrant of the planet, which is where we'll be headed. We know he's hired a sizable operation for his little project, but our interactions with Arn revealed that Shol may have become a bit of a cult leader as well. Apparently his rantings about 'beings of light' protecting us from 'machine devils' have found some traction since the Reaper invasion. He's been trying to find crypts, or something related to these higher beings."

"Why would a being made of light need a crypt," Gakaris groused.

"Miranda, what'll we be facing?" Jane turned to the woman who handled tactics. 

"About a hundred mercs guard his little colony, which appears to be one larger facility surrounded by a ring of smaller ones." Now the holo showed satellite images of an array of rounded buildings. "Standard ops center surrounded by living quarters and storage, I'd guess. We have no idea if they'll be hostile, but we do know they've traded with other volus in the past. My suggestion is to infiltrate them disguised as a roving trade ship."

"Luckily for us, this is the perfect ship for that," Garrus interjected drily. 

Jane nodded. "Gakaris, give us a bio rundown." 

The turian pushed her own tablet primly. "Volus are no real threat, but chances are his mercs are a mixed bag. The real question is the possibility of a yahg presence." Kyllin whistled as the impressively ugly image of a yahg flashed on the screen. "We know they are physically quite strong, perceptive and -without question- incredibly violent. Our data is limited but if the yahg artifact we found on Haestrom means Shol is working with them, we have to anticipate meeting one." She sighed. "I wish I could tell you more... they have yet to utilize mass effect fields, but they aren't stupid by any means. They won't negotiate." She cleared her throat and folded her hands together. "Professionally speaking, I should not cast a net over an entire species... but they may be a cause for good old brute force."

Jane straightened. "Thanks team. Everyone be prepared for a fight, but remember the mission: find Shol. Get intel on the Haestrom device. Everything else is ancillary."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mates of State, "Think Long"  
> The Haxan Cloak- "The Drop"


	6. Planetside

The journey to Horizon was proving surprisingly dull. If Kaidan's deductions were correct, Jane and her crew were already long gone on their way to Klencory, but due diligence called for him to investigate the crash site.

In the meantime, he spent his hours assisting the surly engineer- an ancient woman called Ripper, no last name offered- hold together the ship's systems with spare parts, duct tape and a few prayers. Zaeed's ship was on the verge of being mothballed, but considering the scarcity of private vessels since the war, Kaidan wasn't about to complain. Off-duty, he sent messages to Ashley via his mother, or reviewed what brief intel he had. The Council's reports on Klencory felt perfunctory- it was considered more of an unprofitable oddity than a threat compared to the Reapers. In the evenings when he flipped through the screens he could hear the clanging of the ship and the dull roar of the crew drinking and playing poker.

Upon reaching Horizon, Kaidan noted that little had changed in the sleepy colony. He didn't recognize many faces and wasn't in the mood to reminisce about his posting there; he'd arrived during a low point in his personal life and had ended up losing a lot of people. Zaeed and he skirted the settlement to conduct preliminary investigations around the crashed escape pods. The bodies of several vorcha, just beginning to stink, served as a welcome wagon to the site.

"Looks like your hunch was right, Alenko," the merc admitted gruffly as Kaidan crouched next to a corpse prone behind one of the pods. "Damn good shot. That's my Shepard."

Kaidan ignored the possessive phrasing, knowing Massani was needling him, and stood to brush his pants. "There's nothing here. Looks like Garrus must have picked them up after all- radio silence could have been his idea. Let's go ahead to Klencory."

The two men walked in silence for a minute, wind gently swaying the tall stalks of corn, the gravely dirt crunching beneath their boots. Finally Zaeed spoke up, looking straight ahead. "Here I was almost worried when I heard the news their ship had gone down. Shoulda known she'd come out of it all right.

Kaidan snorted. "Shepard's got a knack for cheating death. She's either the luckiest or unluckiest woman I've ever known."

He could see Zaeed grinning out of the corner of his eye. "So, the two of you..."

Kaidan turned to shoot him a warning look, but Zaeed was still trudging ahead, a smirk on his weathered face. "Yeah, the two of us." The other man shrugged, and the two completed their journey to the ship in silence, giving Kaidan some time to ponder the old merc's attitude. He clearly had immense respect for Jane- and after seeing him toss a pot of burnt rice at a crewmember, his respect was clearly hard won- or the poor bastard, whether he realized it or not, was a little bit in love with Jane Shepard.

***

"This is the Gizzard, callsign TU205E. Here to offer trading services." Garrus negotiated with crackling voice on the Klencory frequency while the crew outfitted themselves with mismatched gear and hidden weapons, trying to look the part of a poorly outfitted salvage crew. Their descent into the clouded atmosphere of the planet had been unremarkable so far, and the standard hail they'd received from Shol's small settlement hadn't raised any suspicions. "We've got parts, eezo, and a few select items in our back stock... of the alcoholic variety." The line popped for a minute. Finally a low voice directed them to the outermost ring of buildings where a small visitor's dock was located.

Jane exited the crew quarters, having finished a recorded message to Kaidan and Ashley. She couldn't risk sending it yet but it had calmed her nerves somewhat to know it was there in case things went south. She approached Garrus, tucking a knife into her boot. She shrugged when he cocked his head curiously. "Hey, when all else fails..." Adjusting the straps on her wrists, she sent out a few pings on her omni. "Okay, let's start with a small group- don't want to come on too strong. Garrus, Tali, Kyllin, you're going out front as our ragtag group of traders. I need you to negotiate and stall as long as possible. Don't engage unless absolutely necessary. Liara, Miranda and I will slip out and infiltrate the inner building. We'll ping you when you're in." 

They nodded in understanding. "All other personnel will suit up but remain on the ship and lay low. We're going to do this quickly and quietly." She picked up her helmet and fitted it over her head, the worried lines on her face disappearing into a sleek black reflection. "Let's roll."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!


	7. Nobody Here But Us Traders

Jane, Liara and Miranda crouched beside the rear shuttle bay doors of the ship, waiting for Garrus' signal. Through her helmet Jane could hear the forward team exiting the front and greeting the guards posted at the visitor's dock. Noticing the other two women watching her tensely, Jane smiled to break the tension. Finally, at her nod, they punched in the code to open the bay and slipped out quietly.

***

In front of the vessel, Garrus raised a hand in greeting to the batarian guards, who relaxed somewhat on seeing Kyllin. "Welcome aboard," the one on the right stated while eyeing Tali. "We didn't have your arrival in our matrix." 

Garrus cleared his throat. "We have some... unusual goods that we'd rather not declare to the Council. Better to fly below the radar until we've unloaded it, so to speak." The guard paused, then nodded.

"Understood. We have our own rules here though, so no funny business." He shot another look at Tali, who tried to look as nonthreatening as possible. Quarian stereotypes apparently held fast on Klencory. Suddenly the mechanical whir of hydraulic doors broke the silence. "What's that?" The guard asked sharply, hoisting his weapon slightly. 

Garrus held up his hands in placation. "Opening our cargo doors. Don't you want to see the goods?"

The batarian grunted suspiciously but lowered his weapon again. "Let's go check out your manifest first. Follow me."

***

 

Kaidan cleared his throat and turned his comm on, ready with the cover story he and the crew had hastily prepared. "Requesting to land. We're following a bounty-"

"Zaeed Massani here. Let us land." Kaidan snapped his head to view Zaeed, who appeared to be enjoying himself and highly amused by his own interruption. After a pause the dispatcher granted them permission to land. He raised his eyebrows in at Kaidan.

"You could have just said you'd been here before," the other man replied. 

Zaeed finally broke into a toothy grin. "A good mercenary never gives away his secrets."

***

The three women padded swiftly and silently out the cargo doors and behind the nearest pile of supply crates, hunkering down and listening to the echoes of the conversation up front. After a few minutes the voices died down and Jane exhaled, then pulled something small out of her rucksack and tucked it between the crates. "What's that?" Liara whispered. Jane merely shook her head. "Just an insurance policy. Don't worry about it." Liara's concern was not mirrored by Miranda's face, however. Knowing she was outnumbered, she refrained from commenting further. They received a ping on their omni tools and glanced down at the display to find a message from Garrus:

_Heading to central quarters to negotiate trade. Will stall._

At that signal, they silently crept from crate to crate, cautious despite the apparent emptiness of the hangar. Finally they reached the side door that led to the other parts of the outer ring of structures. Liara fussed with her omni. "I'm reading a few life signs Southwest but nothing Northeast. Probably another supply hangar or electrical equipment." 

Jane nodded and pointed Northeast. "Let's start there and work our way around, then in. I want to see everything this guy's got here." 

Several warehouses later the recon crew was beginning to feel frustrated. There was nothing unusual or suspicious in any of the darkened buildings- merely supplies, vehicles, and maintenance equipment. Only a few roving security guards inhabited the outer ring, easily avoided- one was even busy playing a game on his omni. Apparently the colony didn't get too many unexpected visitors, unsurprising for a toxic and resourceless planet. After Jane stashed a few more of her mystery objects here and there, they reluctantly agreed to start making their way inward toward the massive central dome.

Miranda stuck her helmeted head cautiously out the front entrance, finally experiencing the Klencory atmosphere- a windy, barren, brownish rock with a slight haze in the air. After checking for guards and cameras, she motioned for the others to follow. It was already dusk on the planet and they were unlikely to be spotted on foot in the gloomily darkening atmosphere. As if on cue, the perimeter lamps fired up a sickly orange just as the women reached the central building. Liara quickly disabled the automatic security lock and the three slipped inside, not noticing the small merc craft descending from the atmosphere into a nearby hangar.


	8. Storm's Coming

_Typical colony quarters, _thought Jane- sterile hallways, the ambient lighting giving off a cheap glowing simulation of daylight cycles. She felt as though she'd been there a hundred times before; nothing stood out that screamed 'cult' or 'dangerous weirdos'. The trio made their way around the perimeter rooms slowly, ducking into side doors to avoid the few patrols that did walk through, forming mental map of the facility- dining and living quarters to the north, tech and lab quarters to the west, security and surveillance south, miscellaneous offices and stores east.__

Most of the personnel seemed to be in the dining area at the moment; Miranda waited patiently for one of the few in the surveillance center to drop his guard before silently sweeping in and clutching her fist to the back of his neck. He collapsed before his hand reached the needle she quickly pulled out, Jane stepping in to guide him gently to the ground and drag him under the desk. The sedative would give them more than enough time to complete their recon. "Looks like there's an electrical storm coming in," Liara remarked, observing the bank of monitors and data. "Might not be a bad thing- give our crew an excuse to delay leaving." She swiped through a few files on the screen until she came to a basic evac route map. "It appears the next interior door should lead us to the center of the building."

Jane nodded and relayed a coded ping to Joker. "We've seen everything we need to in the outer rooms. Let's head to the center."

They ducked back out into the hall, noticing the dimmed lights flicker slightly in response to the incoming bad weather. Pausing before the nondescript door that would take them inside the heart of Shol's operation, Jane took a deep breath. "Ready?" Miranda whispered.

Jane frowned. "I'd feel better if I'd heard back from Joker by now." 

The other woman creased her brow. "Probably still negotiating." Jane nodded, unconvinced, and they moved forward to open the door, passing into bluer lights and straight into the extended point of a rifle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a shooort chapter but I had to split up a longer one I'll be putting out very soon.  
> Music: M83, "In the Cold I'm Standing"


	9. Kumun Shol

"Admiral Jane Shepard. I'm so happy you're here."

Kumun Shol was short, even for his species. His clothing and gear were simple, humble even, and his voice soft-spoken even while ringing out through his breathing equipment and translator. "But I was expecting a fuller crew. You don't even have your physician on board? You must have been in a hurry to meet me."

Jane regarded him with barely disguised hostility, having been marched into his offices at gunpoint. The three woman had been gently, though briskly, corralled into the large circular room at the center of the building where they now stood before the volus. A quick glance showed her an exit on the far side of the walls; otherwise it was a surprisingly tastefully decorated space- black walls illuminated softly, a work and sitting area filling the center, a securely gridded skylight affording a view of the overhead sky. The darkened clouds above them began to crackle with lightning. Her mind quickly calculated their odds- they could probably take the guards, but they were technically the intruders in this situation, and wanted to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.

"Many of our crew were still recovering from an illness and stayed behind," she stated simply, though her mind was racing- was her crew safe? Had they been set up? Then, most darkly- would she ever see her daughter again? She quickly shook off the paranoid thoughts and focused on the situation at hand. Shol waited a moment for her to elaborate, but continued when her stony face made it clear she would not be sharing more than necessary.

"Well, I'm glad some of you made it. I'm as curious about you as you apparently are about me." He gestured to the sitting area filled with firm white couches and the group cautiously sat down, Shol placing himself next to her.

"I am curious about you," Jane admitted, leaving space for him to continue.

He nodded thoughtfully a moment before speaking in a rehearsed, yet unhostile manner,"I assume you've read the intel on me. Once I had everything a volus could want. Money, comfort, power. I played the information game well and I played it ruthlessly." He turned to face her and gently took her gloved hand into his own. "But I only lived for myself."  
"I had a vision, Admiral. Powerful beings of light, speaking to me, directly to my mind- they warned me the Reapers were coming. And if rumors are true- you experienced something like this too, yes?" Jane was too stunned to do anything but nod reluctantly. "I faced a difficult decision- something else I'm sure you're familiar with." There was an undercurrent of something in his statement she couldn't quite put her finger on; not a threat but enough to raise her hackles. There was no way he knew what she'd done with the Catalyst- she'd only told a few of her closest friends what had happened that day on the Citadel. "Continue my life of ease, or seek answers? Potentially save lives- save the galaxy? Surely no sacrifice was too great for the latter?" He fixed his helmeted eyes on Jane, searching her face. "I'm sure you can understand that. And so I sold everything I had, and shared my discovery with the world- but only a few were willing to listen. Of course, that changed after the Reaper invasion. I very quickly went from an eccentric boss to a... speaker of truths."

Miranda, impatient with his soliloquy, interjected: "The Reapers are dead. Why are you still here?"

Shol kept his gaze on Jane. "Because my work isn't done. I understand you want answers. I want to give them to you. Let me show you."

***  
"Where are my crew?" Jane demanded as they climbed into the small all-terrain vehicle. Shol had escorted them to one of the outer garages, along with a driver and a batarian guard silently following with rifle in hand. The volus settled himself into the front seat and shifted around to face his reluctant guests as the driver waited for the bay doors to open.

"Your crew are fine. They'll be close by and I give you my personal assurance they will not be harmed." The car shot out of the doors and down a worn path on the barren hillside, lit by its glaring headlights and the occasional flash of the overhead storm. "Please understand, I'm happy you're here."

"That was your device on Haestrom," Liara stated. Shol seemed to notice her for the first time.

"Dr. Tsoni. That is correct. Although I'm sad to report it has not functioned as planned."

"Did you get it from the yahg? Are you working with them?" Her voice was steady, natural curiosity overcoming any anxiety she was having.

"It was gifted to us by the yahg, yes. A brutal species, but more clever than the Council gives them credit for." The car hit a bump in the road, dirt flying. "I shared just enough of my findings with them to get them started, and it worked for a while, but- not perfectly."

"You shared tech with the yahg?" Miranda asked sharply, her voice incredulous. Another bump- Jane was mentally tracking their route but the relative darkness outside was making it difficult to pinpoint their location.

"As I said, just enough to get what I needed. My generator required resources only found on Parnack, so I was left with no choice." He waved a stubby hand. "It doesn't matter now though, I terminated my alliance with them after the generator failed. You needn't worry about the yahg."

"It's a generator? It pulls energy from Haestrom's sun?" Liara pressed, but Shol was distracted by the driver pulling to a stop. "What was the malfunction?"

"Please affix your helmets," he asked politely before stepping out of the vehicle. "We're here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing music- SYML, "Where's my love" ; Karmina, "All The King's Horses"


	10. The Pyramid

The vehicle had stopped in front of a massive stone pyramid carved out of the ochre rock that dotted the Klencory landscape. An unsettingly brown cloud of toxic haze hovered just overhead the structure, apparently obscuring it from satellites; Jane wondered whether this was by luck or design.

"Is this prothean?" Liara wondered aloud. Shol merely waddled ahead of them, guards still bringing up the rear. The storm was in full force now and they made quick work of ducking inside the low doors to escape the wind and thunder.

Inside, the structure was essentially hollow. Blue temporary archaeological lighting was strung up along the walls, high enough to display the six stone columns surrounding a low center dais the size of the vehicle they'd just arrived in, shockingly still and quiet in contrast to the storm howling outside in the dark. A small group of people were waiting near the platform, apparently arguing, their raised voices piercing the eerie silence of the hollow structure. Jane's head suddenly whipped in the direction of the group and she walked slowly toward them, finally picking up into a run. Shol raised his hand to signal his alarmed guards to stand down and let her go.

Kaidan was beginning to lose the last of his patience with the guards that had hustled himself and Zaeed into the crumbling structure when he heard the footsteps speeding up toward him. Turning, he squinted at the figure until Jane Shepard- mouth slightly open in shock, messy braid flying behind her- burst through the darkness and straight into his arms. He clutched her tight and breathed in the smell of her hair, each of them laughing a little incredulously. Finally she pulled back enough to look into his eyes, her own wide with questioning. "Kaidan... what the hell are you doing here?"

He laughed again and kissed her. "Looking for you."

Jane shook her head. "I don't know what to say. I'm glad you're here. I'm so sorry, Kaidan-"

"Hey, he interrupted, and cupped her chin to look into her eyes; "I'm sorry. I should have-"

"Shepard. You look older." A gruff voice cut in, followed by the clanking of truly ugly yellow armor. Massani took a break from glaring at the guards to give his old compatriot a half-smile.

"Thanks, Zaeed," Jane replied sarcastically. She squeezed Kaidan's hand and stepped back from him. Then, more sincerely: "Good to have backup." He merely nodded in reply.

"It appears your friends decided to join us," Shol stated quietly as he approached them. "Fine, fine. Let's get down to business." The volus brushed past them to the dais and signaled one of his men to begin manipulating a nearby panel. Judging by the construction it had recently been installed along with the archaeological equipment. 

"What you are seeing with your own eyes is what I myself discovered all those years ago. I had sent a small recon team here for a standard survey- for a time I specialized in rare and valuable minerals."

"Is that how you knew about Parnack?" Liara asked, joining the group that had unconsciously formed a circle around the platform. 

Shol nodded. "Curious about their findings, I decided to visit for myself- in truth I was hoping to find some valuable prothean artifacts. But this was not like any prothean ruin I'd seen." He took a deep breath and reverently touched the stone. "I... can't describe what happened to me in a concrete way. It was like a bolt of ightning... directly to my mind. And it.. spoke to me, in a sense. Showed me things." 

Jane swallowed, allowing herself to consider the idea that Shol wasn't insane after all. "I believe I had a similar experience on Eden Prime."

He nodded again. "Perhaps. I saw the coming of the Reapers. A being of light, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen-" he appeared distracted, almost wistful- "like pure sunlight- I wish you could see it for yourself. Have you?"

She shook her head. "No, my visions were more... disturbing."

Shol seemed unsurprised. "That is why I do not believe this was prothean in origin. I believe these beings- gods, whatever you want to call them- predate them. Or exist beyond time. And I am humbled to be their messenger."

"So what's the bloody message?" Zaeed interjected eloquently. "Shoot down Shepard's ship and lead a weird-ass cult?"

The volus continued gazing at the dais, unperturbed. "No, your ship's destruction was unfortunate, but not my doing. Look to your own people for that. But the transmission was- instructions, of a sort." After a heavy pause he continued, almost to himself: "No, not instructions- a promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really try to describe Jane's appearance minimally to allow people to fill in their own versions of her. Hope that's not too frustrating.


	11. An Offer

Shol allowed his words to echo in the dim chamber. Finally he seemed to collect himself and waved to the batarian at the console to tap a few keys. A bluish holo projected itself into the center of the dais.  
"There was a twofold promise. One, that the Reapers would come, and that they would not be the only threat to our galaxy. You, Admiral Shepard, know this to be true." Jane remained stonefaced.  
"And two, that they would help us. Would pass on their knowledge to protect us." The holo finally clarified into the image of a Reaper, half-destroyed. Jane couldn't make out the background but it appeared to be in some sort of hangar. "The knowledge was contained within chambers beneath this very structure, but time and the planet's atmosphere eroded much of what we found. We had to make do with what we could. And here you are, on the eve of something momentous, even after you tried to interfere. It's like they willed this to happen. It's- beautiful."

"What did you find? What are you planning?" Kaidan demanded, his voice hoarse with impatience. 

"A promise, Admiral: They had the ability to reconstruct any synthetic construct." Jane's eyes slowly widened as she realized what Shol was saying.

"The last thing that was missing was a massive surge of power, drained from the very star of Haestrom itself. Imagine it- fighting fire with fire. We can protect the galaxy with the very technology that sought to destroy us." He turned to her and grasped her arm, fervently whispering loudly, "Now is your chance to fix your mistakes. You passed on the chance before- I'll allow you to make it right now. Revive the Reaper with me." Seeing her hesitation he continued, "And of course your geth friends! They can be restored to full functionality... although I'd suggest adding some control commands." 

Jane continued to stare at him. "You're insane," Kaidan finally replied. "That's hardly surprising," muttered Zaeed under his breath. Disappointment radiated from behind Shol's helmet.

"Admiral, some day there will be another war. Another enemy. We've been weakened by this fight- if you leave us vulnerable now, those deaths will be on your hands."

"The yahg..." Liara suddenly spoke up, a thought occurring to her. "What did you mean not to worry about them?"

Shol waved his hand impatiently. "They're done. Don't concern yourself-"

"They're done- dead? You mean... the entire species?"

Shol finally dropped his calm demeanor. Whipping around to face Liara, his movements were unsteady. "They were a threat to the entire galaxy. What I did is no different- no different- than what the Admiral did to the geth, what we all did to the krogan. Your Council has been too concerned with their own problems to even notice." Seeing her aghast face he added, "You can make me out to be the villain here if you want. But deep down, you're relieved."

Jane, jaw clenched, breathed deeply through her nose a few times, apparently in thought. Finally she cleared her throat softly. "Take me to my crew." The volus cocked his head slightly to determine her tone and she added, "I'll discuss your offer Shol. I'm not so naive I won't consider it. But I demand to see my crew. Now."


	12. The Reaper

Jane refused to discuss Shol's offer further while en route to the hangar. The volus turned around in the front of the vehicle a few times to begin to say something, but the Admiral stared straight ahead into the gloom outside. Orange lights punctuated the road to the outbuildings blurrily, the howling winds outside whipping brown dust against the windshield. The residents were apparently used to this level of storm and drove on unconcerned.

"You're not really going to listen to this guy, are you?" Kaidan, seated beside his partner, murmured near her ear. She turned to look into his eyes, a hardness on her face.

"Kaidan, I know you love me. But do you trust me?" At last- the question that had hung between them again and again. 

This time he replied without hesitation, not breaking his gaze: "Always."

***

The doors to the dimly lit hangar creaked open and they hurriedly parked inside, first Shol's vehicle followed by the others. Several guards strained to shut them again against the wind and they closed with a bang, leaving the cavernous building eerily silent. The passengers exited and blinked a few times to allow their eyes to adjust. After a moment they heard a faint, familiar call from the back.

"Joker?" Jane started toward the far end but stopped short when she took in the massive object in the center of the space. What she had assumed to be a ship was, in fact, the damaged corpse of a Reaper. Liara gasped at the same moment.

"Where did you get this?" Jane demanded. Shol walked unhurriedly to her side.

"It had suffered fatal wounds from a Turian cruiser near our orbit. No one was too concerned about what happened to them once they were actually dead. I have some geth as well, if you'd like to start with them."

Her shoulders sagged with relief as she saw her crew, apparently alive and well, making their way toward them. "It's true," said Gakaris as she approached. There was a note of disgust in her voice. "I examined them all myself. The Reaper is the real thing."

"So this... device in the pyramid, you can reboot this thing at any time?" She faced Shol but her eyes were quickly taking in the personnel. The entire crew was now accounted for and in one place. That left Shol and the drivers, plus several guards, but they were at least separated from the main force now. The rest were either in the main compound or back at the pyramid.

"I prefer the word revive, but yes. Admiral, I propose we do this together."

For the first time in days, Jane smiled. "Me too." With that, she pulled a small device from her pocket and set off the first explosive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music: Santigold, "Find A Way"
> 
> No beta reader on this one, sorry...


	13. Descent

The first of the explosives Jane had stashed on their way into the compound went off immediately, the resounding boom audible even through the lightning storm. Shol and his men appeared confused for a moment before their omnis began barking out information from the compound in a panicked voice. The guards raised their firearms toward the crew, looking hesitantly at their boss for instruction, which was more than enough time for Shepard's team to instinctively get into battle formation and protect the most vulnerable members of the group. The biotics quickly knocked out the perimeter guards and Kyllin happily fired away with a shotgun; where he'd been hiding it all this time Jane wasn't sure she wanted to know.

They made quick work of the mercenaries and Jane whipped around to lock Shol into a stasis. She paused, considering her options.

"Going to kill me- for the greater good, Admiral?" He gasped out, fighting against the biotic field. "Like the geth? Like your AI?" 

After a moment she gestured to Liara. "Tie him up and toss him in a car. We're going to blow this hangar. But first we need to pay a visit to the tomb."

***

The all-terrain vehicles bounced and shook in the storm as they made their way back to the pyramid. Miranda seemed to have the best sense of direction and led the small convoy toward her best guess of the location- the darkness and dust outside made it difficult to gauge just where they had come from. The team was squeezed in tight, even after sending half the crew off in the direction of their ship. Finally Mirnda slammed on the breaks, the dark structure suddenly looming in the haze.

"Keep the cars running- hang on," Jane focused on the chatter coming from the omni she'd removed from one of the guards. The security force had found the hangar empty and were preparing to hit the pyramid next. Making a split decision, she activated the next set of explosives she'd stashed in one of the outer buildings and listened in satisfaction as the voices rose in agitation. "That ought to keep them busy. Kaidan and Liara, come with me- we'll only be a minute. Zaeed and Kyllin, keep watch outside." She checked the seal on her helmet again and dove out the door into the whipping dust.

Inside, they found only a small force that had been left behind to guard the excavation- apparently without Shol to direct them they'd gone running blindly toward the explosions. The mercenaries were duly dispatched and Liara rushed to the controls by the dais, Jane close behind. "Shol has something stashed down there. You're the archaeologist, Liara- give me something to work with here."

The asari was already activating the controls, her brow furrowed. "It's a standard excavation system, but the structure itself is in bad shape- here." She punched in a few buttons and they heard a mechanical whir and the pillars around the dais suddenly sparked with an unearthly blue light. The dais itself slowly began descending into the floor with an uncomfortable grinding sound. The three looked at each other and, in silent agreement, hopped onto the platform as it disappeared into the stone floor.

The journey down wasn't nearly as deep as the prothean ruins they'd encountered in the past. The stone platform slammed to the ground unceremoniously, startling its passengers. The trio turned on the lights attached to their suits and looked around the underground chamber: it was smaller than the structure above, simple stone walls the same color as the dais. They swung their lights around until they found one wall that had been thoroughly excavated, a large hole revealing the rectangular object within.

"It appears to be a shrine... or perhaps a sarcophagus of some sort," Liara whispered reverently. She stepped forward and ran her hands along the simple stonework, looking for an opening or seal. "His team must have already opened this once, there's got to be a way-" 

Suddenly Zaeed's voice barked through the comms in their helmets. "We've got company, Shepard. Might want to hurry it up in there."

Jane and Kaidan helped Liara explore the object, finally locating a seam along the top. The three of them pulled until the stone separated, the top falling to the ground with a loud bang. Inside, where they had expected to find a corpse, was a jet-black box. The color was unnaturally dark, as though sucking the light from around it. Jane was almost disappointed.  
"Grab it and let's get the hell out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music- Jack Wall, "Breeding Ground"


	14. Escape

When the dais reached the surface, Jane sprinted ahead of her companions to join the firefight raging in front of the pyramid. Zaeed and Kyllin crouched behind the armored vehicles, flashes of light punctuating the darkness when the security forces fired on them. Jane dove through the front entrance into a roll, landing behind the nearest jeep. She wrenched the door open against the wind, reached inside and grabbed Kumun Shol by the collar of his bulky suit. Dragging him outside, she shouted into her stolen comm:

"That's your leader you're firing on, geniuses. I don't care if he's a paycheck or a god to you, but I know he's not bulletproof." She shoved him in eyesight of the guards to prove her point. After a moment the shots stopped and the omnitool crackled ominously. She waved for her team to pile back into the vehicles then slowly dragged the volus hostage backwards, pulling him in last. '

As they bumped back along the road toward the main compound, Liara was examining the black box, shouting above the din. "It's very similar to a prothean artifact. Or... perhaps it contains the essence of the being itself? Either way, it will need a power source..." her voice faltered as they reached the orange-lit outbuildings. "Why are we slowing down?"

Miranda gestured with her chin. "Looks like the remaining forces knew we'd be coming back here."

The convoy slowed to a crawl and finally came to a halt. The storm was starting to die down and Jane could see far enough out the windshield to make out the assembled forces gathering out front under the lit areas, in full gear and weapons drawn.

"Any civilians? Scientists?" She murmured, realizing with dismay that there were indeed non-mercenary staff filtering outside in their non-armored biosuits; whether they were joining the fight in a pique of loyalty or had merely rushed out to investigate the explosions she couldn't be sure. Finally she let out a deep breath. "How many bombs left, Tali?" 

Her friend checked a readout on her omni. "Looks like the ones we placed by the Reaper, and just one in the inner security room."

Jane nodded. "Let's distract them and head to cover- I don't want any unnecessary casualties. Light 'em up." The resounding boom shook the ground. A small ball of flames burst through the roof of the compound, grabbing the attention of the security forces long enough for Miranda to floor the gas and swerve the vehicle around the side of the closest hangar on the perimeter. The others followed suit. 

Zaeed cackled with glee as he heard the cacophony through the stolen comms. "Hear that? That's the sound of a reaper burning!" 

The convoy screeched to a halt outside the hangar hosting the Gizzard. The crew quickly checked the seals on their helmets and ducked out of the vehicles and in through the side door. Just outside they could hear SMGs firing and pinging off the metal building.

"Get in the ship, NOW!" shouted Jane, practically tossing her people- and her sole prisoner- through the still-open bay doors. She crouched behind the landing gear and, yanking a stolen pistol from her belt, began firing carefully at the front entrance where the mercenaries were finally making their way inside. Finally Kaidan grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her inside the ship.

"All accounted for. Let's get the hell out of here," he shouted over the din of the fight. The ship began to lift off the ground before the loading doors were shut, its passengers scrambling to secure themselves in the jumpseats before takeoff, alarms blaring. Jane peeked out the opening one last time before it shut, gratefully bidding goodbye to the burning colony and flashes of weapons firing below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the end here. Thanks again for the kudos and subscriptions, they keep me writing.


	15. Endings, Beginnings

"I destroyed it."

Admiral Shepard's words echoed in the unadorned chamber that served as the Citadel Council's meeting room. Since the rebuilding of the station the group of alien ambassadors had opted for a more spartan, accessible location than their previously grandiose one. "You never activated it?" The turian councilor raised what passed for an eyebrow. Jane straightened her posture slightly, bristling at being cross-examined.

"The device will never work. I give you my word. It would require a massive power surge to activate something the size of a reaper, or an entire species."

"But something smaller than that, with less power?..."

"Like I said... I destroyed it."

And it was enough. Jane Shepard had little to prove at this point in her life and the Council, knowing how much they owed her, let it slide. They thanked her for the delivery of Kumun Shol- assuring her that at the very least, they would detain him on some ancient racketeering charges, and anything else they could throw at him to prevent him from returning to his status as a cult leader. Fortunately for them he'd accrued plenty of shady dealings in his previous life. They also informed her, slightly smugly, that they'd traced her original vessel's attack to the mercenaries she'd encountered on Haestrom- apparently her prisoner had alerted his compatriots to the ship's location codes. She let them enjoy that victory, knowing her crew had some pirate-hunting on the horizon. Still, she couldn't regret showing the man mercy, knowing there was a part of her that may not have.

She braced her hands on the elevator rail, watching the peaceful scene below as she descended to the residential quarter. Kaidan and Ashley were waiting for her on a bench, Kaidan struggling to place socks back on the wiggling child. Jane snorted and swooped up her daughter, planting a firm kiss on her chubby cheek. She smiled at her partner and reached for his hand. Kaidan looked back at her, an involuntary smile crossing his face. "I just got word from the techs- installation will be done in about 36 hours. Let's go home," he said quietly.

***

A few days later, a massive group had taken over the former Apollo's Cafe on the Citadel for a late brunch. The owner was happy enough to serve the famous Admiral, happier still when he discovered how much champagne and dextro-friendly mimosas they could put away. The relaxed group chatted and laughed- bulky Alliance types, asari, even a couple krogans- but at the center was an unassuming couple in light civilian clothes who kept exchanging glances and smiling. Occasionally they would trade off the dark-haired infant that miraculously napped through the entire meal, sometimes handing her to an older woman when they needed a free hand.

Eventually the couple tapped forks to their glasses to silence the chattering table.

Jane smiled at Kaidan. "Go ahead," she murmured. Standing up, he cleared his throat and laughed.

"I'm not really the speechmaker in this group.... ah, thanks everyone for coming here today. We've been through a lot together... we consider you our family." Tali and Garrus quietly joined hands under the table. "I look at all of you and I see why we are who we are. Your loyalty, your compassion- they've shaped us for the better." Dr. Harris whispered something to Miranda, who pursed her lips in a small smile. "So there isn't anyone we'd rather have here today because- we came here from Earth's embassy offices, where we just signed the paperwork. Officially married." 

Gakaris of all people gasped girlishly, Kyllin smirking in amusement next to her. After a moment the table broke into cheers and applause. After a moment of prodding Jane kissed Ashley on the top of her head, handed her to her mother-in-law and stood up. She smoothed the soft cream-colored dress she wore, her guests now realizing the casual civvies were in fact her wedding attire. She noted with some amusement how self-conscious she felt out of her uniform. 

I don't have anything to add except... thank you. Um..." she raised her champagne. "To my crew. To my husband. My family."

"To trust," Kaidan replied.

"To love," Liara added softly.

Wrex shouted from the end of the table, "To more booze!" 

***  
A few hours later the newlyweds had led Joker to a nondescript airlock, the rest of the group scattering to the winds- duty called some of them back home, others moved on - uninvited and powered by cheap champagne- to the Shepard/Alenko apartment to continue the party. The pilot was enjoying the pleasant buzz of the morning's festivities. "So you guys bring me here to apologize for not making me best man? It's okay, I would've upstaged the groom so..." 

Kaidan laughed, gently shook his friend's hand and took over the stroller. "I'll see you at home," he told his wife with a brief kiss.

"Seriously though... I'm happy for you guys. You've earned it," Joker continued,

Jane turned to her friend, a strange smile on her face. "Joker... Garrus gifted us the _Gizzard_ on our way back to the Citadel." He hummed in a mildly interested response. "I've had our people making some upgrades since then and it's ready. I'll be spending most of my time here so I'm leaving it in Miranda's care and I thought you might consider the pilot position."

Joker raised his eyebrows. "Maybe? I mean, if I can rename it..." She reached out and warmly took his hand.

"Just come with me."

They walked the short distance of the airlock to the small cockpit of the ship. She looked out the front, seeing the Citadel arms spread out before them, lights flickering, one of them her very home, full of friends and family- truly they were all her family. Jane felt content for the first time in a long while.

"Hello, Shepard. Hello, Jeff," a familiar feminine voice flowed out from the cockpit speakers.

"Hi, EDI. Welcome home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing music- Brian Eno, "An Ending".
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Was it too corny? I wanted to give it the feel of a video game 'side mission'. This story makes a lot more sense if you read "Redshift" first but hopefully you enjoyed it either way. I'll be going back to edit and clean up my writing like I have with my other stories... another HUGE thanks to everyone who subscribed, bookmarked and gave kudos. XOXO


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